Harry Potter and the Failed Horcrux
by Lord Melon
Summary: Harry Potter is the boy-who-lived, but not the child Albus expected or even wanted. In many ways he isn't even really a child. Featuring a manipulative "For the Greater Good" Dumbledore, a manipulative "Friends First" Harry and an evil "Screw everybody else" Voldemort. No slash. Timetravel. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Voldemort and his fifty Death Eaters ravaged Great Britain like a plague. Diagon Alley was all but abandoned, with the few brave (or stupid) enough to roam the streets looting and stealing any items of interest. The Ministry of Magic was in chaos. Hogwarts was quiet, with many families either destroyed or moved to other nations, like France or Germany.

The Order of the Phoenix was preparing to abandon Britain and prepare for the eventual invasion of the rest of Europe.

Others left the Order completely, daring to fade into the shadows and perhaps live out a simple life under another name in some faraway country.

Among these were the Potters, who planned for France. They hadn't left yet, though- still there were things to arrange, such as emptying the vaults into Gringotts France. One Halloween night, after a week of preparations, they had just finished that colossal task. That night was the night that Voldemort stuck.

Whatever preparations they had arranged were worth nothing at that point. Voldemort was strong and they were but human.

()()()

Voldemort was the closest thing to happy he could be at this point. Satisfied. Victorious. Successful. Immortal.

"_The __one __with __the __power __to __vanquish __the __Dark __Lord __approaches__..._

_born __to __those __who __have __thrice __defied __him__, __born __as __the __seventh __month __dies__ ..._

_and __the __Dark __Lord __will __mark __him __as __his __equal__, __but __he __will __have __power __the __Dark __Lord __knows __not__ ..__._

_and __either __must __die __at __the __hand __of __the __other __for __neither __can __live __while __the __other __survives__ ..._

_the __one __with __the __power __to __vanquish __the __Dark __Lord __will __be __born __as __the __seventh __month __dies__ ..."_

The prophecy Severus had given him echoed around his head. This was it. Sirius had given him the location of the Potter residence, which he saw as he rounded the corner. Using his magesight, he immediately recognised a detection ward and an anti-apparation ward. Both were tied to a wardstone inside the house.

Tom considered bringing the wards down, but decided against it. The only person who had ever really stood a chance against him was Albus, and he had no reason to believe they were in danger. Walking forward, he triggered the detection ward but paid no interest towards it.

He reached the front door quickly, and unlocked it noiselessly with a spell from his yew wand. Immediately he raised a shield to block two cutting curses and returned with a killing curse. James, for that was the child's father's name, dodged, but entered the path of the second killing curse that Voldemort had sent in the process.

The man fell to the floor with a dull thump. _He __was __not __prepared__, _the Dark Lord concluded. Casting a human detection spell revealed two people upstairs and to the right.

Anticipation was reaching a climax by the time he opened the door. There, next to a crib, was a woman holding a child with both hands. She was crying.

"Step aside, woman. I will spare your life if you give me the child," he said, not really expecting her to move. Severus had begged him to spare her.

"No, please take me! Not Harry, please," she begged.

_Oh __well__, _Voldemort thought. "As you wish. Avada Kedavra!"

She ended up just like her husband. _Worthless_.

With a flick of his wand her body went flying across the room to end up against the wall. Picking up the child, he moved him to the middle of the room and began to draw the circle necessary for the coming ritual. Drawing the runes around it, the circle began to glow white. _Now__, __the __final__ 7__th__, _anticipated Voldemort. He drew the target rune on the baby's skull, a lightning bolt shape.

Voldemort stood back to examine his handiwork, making sure of no mistakes. There were none, as he expected. He raised his wand. The plan was perfect. Make the child's skull a horcrux, kill the same child. Nobody would dare destroy the body of one of their saviors if this somehow went to shit.

_Avada __Kedavra_

The spell hit the kid, accompanied by the standard ripping feeling he associated with creating a horcrux. But something was wrong. He felt his own body slipping away. The horcrux was a success, but at a price.

Voldemort's body was destroyed, he was left a weak soul. He quickly fled the house blindly, before Dumbledore inevitable arrival.

Things had gone badly for Voldemort, but not all was over.

()()()

AN: If it wasn't clear, Voldemort was going to make Harry's dead body a horcrux. He succeeded in putting a horcrux in, but it wasn't in his dead body. The explanation JK gave us never satisfied me. No slash in this story, not an evil Harry. Sort of making it up as I go along, though I do have an overall plan for what the story will be about. Time travel is possible, but if people don't want it I won't add it. It's my first story, so be nice and please give me feedback.


	2. Chapter 2

1981, Halloween's Eve

Sirius Black owed a lot to James Potter. If not for James, Sirius would undoubtedly joined the ranks of the rest of his family- namely, the Death Eaters. When he was banished from his family, James took him in. James introduced him to his other friends, Remus and Peter. Together, they joined the Order of the Phoenix. All four of them breathed, ate and lived together.

So when James asked him to be his secret keeper, he was overjoyed. This was a show of absolute trust, one Sirius could never say no to.

But that was another time. War is a harsh time, it changes people. Black was no different.

He had seen the horrors of war. He had killed his past family and seen people kill his current family. He didn't change then, though.

Everything changed with the locket he found in Grimmauld Place. He didn't know why he put it on, but he really liked it. It made him feel warm. Fuzzy. More importantly, it showed him where most of his problems come from.

The war.

So, naturally the easiest way to end the war would be to surrender to Voldemort. Never did he think of how the Dark Lord had killed people he loved. But he went, and he told him everything he could to get Voldemort's favour. After he gave away his secret, Voldemort took the locket from him and let him leave.

So, when he left, the shock of what he had done rippled through him.

_Merlin__'__s __saggy __ball__sacks__! __What __have __I __done__? _

He apparated to the residence as quickly as he could, but it was already too late. The door was knocked clean, with James' body lying nearby. Sirius rushed over, perhaps knowing it was too late, and examined the body.

It was cold.

You could still see the terror in those eyes and the desperation. The _betrayal_. Sirius, with trembling hands, closed his eyelids.

"I'm so sorry," he wept.

Climbing upstairs, he found a similar situation with Lily. But something else was in those green eyes. Love. Love for Harry, for James, for what they were fighting for. A cry from behind him brought him back to the world. The baby. Sirius rushed over and scooped him up.

"How are you still alive? Oh god Harry, I'm so sorry," said Sirius. There was a bloody mark on his head the resembled a lightning bolt. _How __the __hell __is __this __kid __alive__?, _thought Sirius. He picked him up and was stopped once outside by Albus. The usually smiling old man was angry.

"Sirius, what have you done? Hand me Harry and your wand," he ordered. Sirius decided that was the best he could do, so he did, but before he could explain the situation, he was stunned and bound.

()()()

Dumbledore felt the dark magic embedded in Harry the instant Sirius handed him over. He stunned the now obviously turned wizard and conjured a steel chain to bind him with. He would have to do something about him later, but for now he would simply portkey him to the Ministry with a short note attached to him explaining the situation. After doing so, he investigated the house and found nothing of real interest apart from the room upstairs. He had never seen the ritual before, but he assumed Voldemort had attempted to make a horcrux from Harry's death and something went wrong.

There, next to the now fading circle, was the body of Voldemort. _So __he __has __been __defeated __for __now_, the old man thought. This was obviously Tom marking Harry as his equal. It also explained why Harry contained a shard of Tom's soul- he was making Harry into a horcrux and partially succeeded. This made things difficult. From what Dumbledore knew, Harry had to die. It was highly unlikely for Harry to be able defeat Voldemort in a duel of some sorts- no, Harry had to understand that he should sacrifice himself in such a situation.

He needed to be what Voldemort doesn't understand- love.

_There__, __the __prophecy __makes __sense __now__,_ mused Albus. The plan was set, in the barest meaning. Make Harry know love, then when he comes to Hogwarts guide him to happiness with his friends. When the time comes, Harry would do what was necessary.

The perfect family for Harry came to mind (a muggle family, because a family of wizards would turn him arrogant) the Dursleys. They would raise him to love, and also gift him the protection of blood magic because of Lily's apparent sacrifice.

_Yes__, __this __will __do __lovely__, _thought Dumbledore as he apparated to 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging. There, he quickly wrote a letter with conjured materials and placed Harry on the footsteps.

All was going to plan.

AN: Not every chapter will be so short. These are prologues of sorts. Please review :)


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